A little bit of help please.................

[stitch&ariel]

Hi All!!

Well me & my family go to Disney World every year and have done since I was about 12 (so 14 years) our next trip is September this year! Obviously I am a huge Disney fan and have been both to Disney World and Disneyland Paris

Our Family consists of:

Me (Kelly)
DBF (Tony)
My Mum (Carole)
My Dad (Paul)
DSis (Lyndsey)
DSis's BF (Reece)

I have managed to convince my family that we want to go to LA & visit Disneyland & Disney C.A park go me

We are planning on either a 2009 or 2010 trip! Now we live in the UK and as the trip will work out more expensive than our trips to Florida this will probably be a one time only trip!

We are planning on staying in LA mainly but staying over one night near Disney so we would spend one day at Disneyland and one day at Disney C.A

I just have a couple of questions that I was hoping you guys would be able to help me with

1, What would be the best time of year to visit with regards to how busy the park is and the weather. As we only have the two days we need to get on as many of the rides as we can in those days so less packed would be good! We would like it to be nice weather for walking around in.

2, We would like to stay in a hotel near the parks (not a Disney hotel) which ones would you guys recommend as being good?? We don't need a five star amazing hotel as it's only for one night!

3, How expensive is it to eat etc in the Disney parks compared to the Orlando ones? Is it a lot more expensive for stuff?

4, How long would you say it takes to look around Disney marketplace? Is it smaller than the Orlando one?

Any help you guys could give me would be very much appreciated

 

[DLR29]

1. That depends.
Lower seasons: shorter park hours/smaller lines.
Higher seasons: extended park hours/larger lines/more entertainment.
Personally, I would pick higher seasons. It is not hard to beat the long lines as long as you know what you are doing, arrive early, and use FP a lot. During busier seasons DL is open about 5-6 hours more than during low seasons and DCA is open 3-4 more hours. That's a lot of touring time IMO.

2. I know a lot of people on here recommend HOJO's, Best Western Park Place Inn, and the Carousel Inn for nice offsite hotels within walking distance.

3. Dining isn't as big at DLR as it is at WDW. The dining plan is weaker and there just aren't that many options. For price, I'd say they are about the same. You'll pay the same for a burger at DLR as one at WDW. However it will seem more expensive to you if you are used to using the dining plan at WDW, which actually saves you money.

4. Did you mean Downtown Disney? It is much smaller (no Cirque, DisneyQuest, or Pleasure Island), but there are still a lot of fun stores and restaurants. There's also an ESPN Zone (sports arcade). There's a movie theater, Rainforest Cafe, and a Build-a-Bear Factory. I'd say it takes a half a day to really explore (however I could spend 1-2 days at WDW's DTD)

 

[Husker Mickey]

First of all, glad to hear that you are coming to the original home of Disney. Don't get me wrong, DW is great! It's just good to get the flavor of the original Disney experience. A few answers to you questions:

1. Bump! There are a lot of people on this board who can answer that questions better than I can.

2. We always stay offsite. The nice thing is, you can walk to both parks from offsite. We have stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn (directly across from the crosswalk to the parks) and the Fairfield Inn by Marriot. It is a short walk from the crosswalk.

3. Food costs are very close to the same.

4. Downtown Disney is much smaller that DWs. I think a couple of hours to see it is plenty. If you plan on having a meal, plan on longer.

Hope this helps. Have a great time. BTW - when we were at DL we took a day trip several years ago, we met a family from the UK and our son became pen pals and eventually IM pals with their son. Last summer our DS went across the pond to visit that family. He had a great time, loving every minute of it.

 

[HydroGuy]

Here is some info on weather at DLR:

"Detailed Weather History for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

Also, as DLR29 said, be careful about trying too hard for low crowds as you may miss some things at DLR. See

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

I would also recommend you consider visiting DLR for 3 days. Two will leave you feeling like you missed too much.

Regarding hotels, see the links in this thread:

"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

And consider staying for more than one night.

For more info that may be of help see:

"A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[stitch&ariel]

Hi Guys

Thanks so much for the replies they have brought things to my attention I didn't know existed! DL really is another world to WDW

What months are higher season for DL???

It sounds as though the food should be pretty much the same for us, we don't eat a lot as a family really so always just have counter service food so if the price is similar that should be fine!

I am glad that Disney Marketplace should be able to be visited in such a short space of time I was afraid that it took days to view!!

Thanks again for the responses they are very much appreciated

 

[stitch&ariel]

Hope this helps. Have a great time. BTW - when we were at DL we took a day trip several years ago, we met a family from the UK and our son became pen pals and eventually IM pals with their son. Last summer our DS went across the pond to visit that family. He had a great time, loving every minute of it.

That's an awesome story!! How did you meet and get so friendly with them? I would love to hear more

 

[HydroGuy]

What months are higher season for DL???

Read thru the whole thread of the link above:

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

 

[DLR29]

What months are higher season for DL???

When the hours are 8AM-midnight for DL and 10AM-10PM for DCA. That would be:

-Any weekend
-Any weekday of a long weekend (Labor Day, Martin Luther, Veterans, etc.)
-President's Week (crowded, although hours aren't as long this week)
-Spring Break (depends on when Easter is)
-Mid June to mid August
-Thanksgiving
-About 5 days before Christmas through a couple days after New Years.